The Duluth Clydesdales were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team based in

Duluth , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. They are former members of the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

-based

Superior International Junior Hockey League The Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) is a junior A ice hockey league and a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) and Hockey Canada. The league operates in the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. states of M ...

History

The Duluth Clydesdales applied for entry into the

in the Summer of 2010 along with the

Wisconsin Mustangs Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Mich ...

of the

Minnesota Junior Hockey League The Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MnJHL) was a USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier III junior ice hockey league operated out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul. History Established in 1974, the MnJHL developed players 20 years old and younger for over 40 years ...

. Both teams were summarily rejected by the

USA Hockey USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the Sport governing body, governing body for organized ice ...

Junior Hockey Council, but after an appeal to the USA Hockey Appeals Council, the decision was overturned. The Clydesdales became official members of the SIJHL on July 12, 2010. On September 16, 2010, the Clydesdales played their first ever regular season game, on the road, against the

Sioux Lookout Flyers The Sioux Lookout Flyers were a junior ice hockey team from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, Canada. They were a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League for parts of five seasons. History The Sioux Lookout Flyers were added to the Super ...

. Sioux Lookout won the game 6-1. On September 24, 2010, the Clydesdales won their first ever game, while on the road, defeating the

Dryden Ice Dogs The Dryden Ice Dogs are a junior A ice hockey team from Dryden, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History At 49° 47′ North, the Ice Dogs were the most northern junior A team in Ontario until ...

4-1. On October 3, 2010, the Clydesdales played their first ever home game. They dropped the game 5-4 in a shootout to the

Wisconsin Wilderness The Wisconsin Wilderness were an American Junior ice hockey team based in Spooner, Wisconsin. The Wilderness played in the Canadian-based Superior International Junior Hockey League. History In the summer of 2012, Donnie Roberts sold the origi ...

. The game also marked the first regulation game in the SIJHL where both the home and away teams were American. Their first home win came on October 10, 2010, a 4-3 win over the

. The 2012-13 season began with much controversy. The defending champion

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

decided to relocate from

Spooner, Wisconsin Spooner is a city in Washburn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,573 at the 2020 census. The city is located mostly within the southwest corner of the Town of Spooner, with a small portion extending into the Town of Beaver ...

Cloquet, Minnesota Cloquet ( ) is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States, at the junction of Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highway 33. Part of the city lies within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation and serves as one of the reservation's three admi ...

. Cloquet is within Duluth's metropolitan area. The move was approved by both the league and

, leaving the weaker Clydesdales organization fighting for local talent, fans, and player personnel against the tuition-free league champions. The Clydesdales barely had enough players to start the season and only put up two wins in thirty-six league games. After having to cancel a road trip for the second time that season due to player injuries and the movement of players to the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

Western States Hockey League The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) was a junior ice hockey league established in 1993. It was sanctioned by the United Hockey Union, the junior hockey branch of the Amateur Athletic Union. Previously, it was sanctioned by USA Hockey from 19 ...

, the league voted to remove them as league members on January 19, 2013 and confirmed that vote on January 20, 2013. The team claims to have had enough players to field a team and was still expecting to stay financially afloat, but the league feared the opposite.

Season-by-Season Results

Playoffs

*2011 ''Lost quarter-final'' :

defeated Duluth Clydesdales ''4-games-to-none'' *2012 ''Lost quarter-final'' :Duluth Clydesdales defeated

Iron Range Ironheads The Minnesota Iron Rangers were an American junior ice hockey team based in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota. Originally named Iron Range Ironheads, the Iron Rangers played in the Canadian-based Superior International Junior Hockey League. Iron Range I ...

''2-games-to-none'' :

Thunder Bay North Stars The Thunder Bay North Stars are a Junior ice hockey#Junior A, junior A ice hockey team from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. They are a member of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. History After the fall of the Thunder Bay Flyers in 200 ...

defeated Duluth Clydesdales ''4-games-to-none''

References

External links

Clydesdales WebpageSuperior International JHL Webpage
{{SIJHL Amateur ice hockey teams in Minnesota Defunct Superior International Junior Hockey League teams